When we first put together our chicken run, it was loaded with fresh bermuda, clover and other tasty greens. A neighbor said, "I give it two weeks before you've got bare dirt." Well, it took two months, but since then, we've been lining the ground with straw and/or hay and feeding them greens from the garden. My aunt-in-law came here this week, and she came up with a plan. It's not idea as it's going to be a bit of a pain, but I think it will work!
We are making frames out of wood and putting hardware cloth (1/2") over them. This will allow the chickens to safely walk on it, while allowing the greens to grow below. Once the grass et al. is grown and ready for chomping, we'll move the frame and seed another location. Our run is 24X36', so two 2x6' frames isn't going work miracles, but it should at least help. Wish there was a better way, and I REALLY wish we could free range them, but I've spoken of the hell-spawn that are my father-in-law's dogs, and it's just not safe. :(
A Solution to a Run Devoid of Grass
That sounds like a splendid idea mevnmart. As long as they have some type of shade during summer, I don't see why that wouldn't work.
I wanted to do that at my horse lot, have little portable chicken tractors to move around. Well, the donkey proved to be more of a problem than I anticipated. For some reason he likes to paw at the chickens and the cages and will kill them if he can get to them. He pawed the lock off the coop once and opened the door and killed four roosters. Donkeys also chew wood, and he has chewed my little coops. He has to be completely blocked away from the chickens. He's adorable, but he's a bad boy when it comes to chickens.
Well, it wasn't all the donkey, the dog was in on the rooster kill too.
Anything that kills my chickens will be buried with the dead chicken, my two male cats know exactly what I mean. A donkey, hmmm, thats a lot ot digging...LOL...Hay
Yes Mevnmart that should work well, I can't remember who but someone else here on the forum has also done that. I have a front and back door to my coop and a run on both sides, so I can keep them on one side til the other recovers and then swap the sides out. It really does help...Hay
That is a great idea! Takes patience, but I am sure it will provide forage!
One of my tiny coops with Seramas in it is the same story.. I even planted in flats for them.. Just too small to cover, and they are too valuable to let out.. So last year I had some forage mix and just grew some in nursery flats.. they loved it.. but it didn't last. :( This year, I just have to babysit when I let them roam..
my hubbie uses the push mower on part of the front yard with the bagger for the clipping to put in the chicken runs for them. In winter I plant rye grass where they free range and the front yard for the geese and yard ducks
Mevnmart, the grass boxes are great! I have two of them and they work like a charm. I bought a bag of pasture grass to plant in them. I also use one of them for areas in the pasure, by the gate, where the chickes spend a lot time time and I use it there as well. One stays in the chicken run. I also used the flower flats to plant grass but it only lasted about 10 minutes per tray and they had it torn apart, lots of fun for them but not enough nutrition. Good luck!